The Roswell Mill Workers

In the 1840's, Roswell King from Brunswick, Ga. moved inland to Roswell to create a textile mill on the Vickery Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochie, mainly to get away from the ocean weather. His son Barrington, along with newly arrived shoe manufacturer Charles Dunwwoody, created the City of Roswell employing over 300 people in their mills.

By the time the War came along, the mills had been converted into tent fabric manufacturers. On July 5, 1864, the U.S. Cavalry comandeered Roswell. On July 7, Sherman ordered the mills burned and all workers transported under guard to Marietta. They arrived in Marietta on July 12th, over 400 women and countless children. They were immediately sent north via train to Louisville, KY and Indiana. Many died on the way. Most were never heard from again.

Men returning home from the war found their families gone, with no official mention of where. One man re-married, assuming his wife was dead. She had been left by the Union to fend for herself in Chicago. It took her 7 years to "walk" home to Roswell, children in tow.

Can you imagine going off to war, returning home, and finding all the women and children gone? And for what? Making tent fabric. I'm pretty sure we won't meet Mr. Sherman beyond the pearly gates.

This is not the only incident of this nature done by the Union. But, this one caught the publics attention as an outrage, North and South, and probably would have been reversed had Sherman not gone onto victory shortly thereafter and removed this so-called "blemish on his record" from the public eye.